Many of the perennial contenders are still in the title chase as the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs head into the quarterfinal round, but the playoffs have once again shown nothing is a given no matter what the name is on the front of the jersey.
Washington State removed the interim tag and named Jake Dickert head coach Saturday night after he led the Cougars to a 3-2 record following the firing of Nick Rolovich. Momentum had been growing for Dickert to get the job permanently and his candidacy was capped with an emphatic 40-13 rout of rival Washington in the Apple Cup that snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Huskies.
SEATTLE (AP) The third week of October is when it could have all fallen apart at Washington State. There were easy built-in reasons and explanations if the Cougars had crumbled at that point of the season.